The Young Messiah - John Debney

3/6/16
The Young Messiah was provided courtesy of The Krakower Group and Lakeshore Records.  Thank you!
What You Will Hear:  A bit of Middle Eastern instrumentation, but mostly modern orchestra and choir.

Standout Tracks:  The Young Messiah Theme, Alexandria Egypt, Jesus Heals Cleopus, Nazareth Reveal, The Messiah Will Save Us, A Son Named Jesus, Jerusalem For Passover, Travel To Jerusalem, Jesus Leaves Alone
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Will You Be Humming Along?  Both main melodies are simple but beautiful (and beautifully performed – especially the solo cello). 
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Theme #1 goes through many variations.
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Theme #2 is much more complex than this - great progressions!
The album this makes me want to dust off:  The Passion of the Christ – John Debney
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Will I come back to it?  Yes, to the second half.  The opening track is a nice introduction to the main themes.  (Love that chord structure in the last 20 seconds). The rest of the early cues are ethereal and unsettling, and they don’t offer much worth noting.  Then, around “Reveal of Nazareth,” things change wonderfully.  The soundscape becomes incredibly lush and peaceful.  The Middle Eastern instrumentation is (mostly) gone and the strings are soothing and rich.  Debney's biggest strength is the use of rich chord progressions throughout.  What comes across as simple beauty is actually complex movement behind the melodies.  When the tempo does occasionally pick up, the percussion is never overbearing.  It’s almost like a heartbeat.
     The inevitable comparisons to The Passion of the Christ will reveal this experience to be a more serene cousin to that earlier work.  The Young Messiah is a tale of two scores and the second half will be on my playlist any time I’m looking for musical serenity.

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